Circular knitting machine



1951 P. L. THURSTON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 8,1949 10 Sheets-Sheet l 1: 1 11 l 1 III] 1| INVENTOR M M M m A M 0ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. THURSTON 2,573,113

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ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 Original Filed Jan. s, 1949 10 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. L. THUFYQSTON 1 CIRCULAR KNITTINGMACHINE Original Filed Jan. 8. H49

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CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Jan. 8, 1949I llll h INVENTOR W ATTORN Y Oct. 30, 195] P. THURSTON 2,573,118

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed Jan. 8, 1949INVENTOR @M/ Thy/2'7 ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 p THURSTQN 2,573,113

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 8, 1949 10 Sheet s-Sheet 7INVENTOR Pm I/ Z. Wyn/v79) ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. THURSTON 2,573,118

' CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 8/1949 1O Sheets-Sheetf;

INVENTOR ATTORN EY Oct. 30, 1951 P. L. THURSTON 2,573,113

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 8, 1949 l0 Sheet-Sheet QII IIIIIIIIIH INVENTOR 3441/ A. Thwr /ah ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. L.THURSTON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 10 Original FiledJan. 8, 1949 wEQKErEL CE n INVENTOR L777h 5 ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 30,1951 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Paul L. Thurston, Martinsburg, W. Va.,assignor to Interwoven Stocking Company, New Brunswick, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Original application January 8, 1949, SerialNo. 69,961. Divided and this application December 16, 1949, Serial No.133,291

6 Claims. (Cl. 66-135) 1 The present invention relates to the productionof multicolor wrap embroidery rib-knit fabric on circular knittingmachines including circular knitting machines having co-axial superposedneedle cylinders with needles operable in either cylinder andselectively transferable from one cylinder to the other. A particularapplication of the invention is the production of a colorwithin-colorwrap embroidery patterns in the rib-knit leg and instep portion oftubular seamless articles of hosiery, such as half-hose.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 69,961 filedJanuary 8, 1949.

In producing knitted fabric with a wrap embroidery pattern, the body ofthe fabric is knit of thread or yarnusually called the body yarn --whichforms the background for the design. At selected stitches of the fabric,a wrap embroidery thread or yarn is knit in plating relation over thebody yarn so as to come to the outside face of the fabric. By using awrap thread of different color from the body thread, a pleasingmulti-color pattern or design can be produced. The wrap thread usuallyextends in a generally walewise direction, being floated from one coursein which it is incorporated to the next.

The production of simple wrap embroidery patterns in knitting plainfabric on a single series of needles is relatively easy, variousmachines having been employed for this purpose.

The problem is more difficult with seamless ribknit fabric. In order tomake rib fabric, it is necessary to have a second series of needleswhich draw stitches in the opposite direction. Stitches which are drawnby one series of needles so that the needle loops come to the outer faceof the fabric are referred to as outwardly facing stitches, whilestitches which are drawn by the other series of needles so that theneedle loops to the inner face of the fabric are called inwardly facingstitches. In a circular knitting machine for producing rib fabric, theneedles of one series are slidably disposed in slots in a trickedcylinder while needles of the other series are carried by a dial or asecond needle cylinder which is disposed above, and coaxial with, thefirst. In

either case, the dial or the second needle cylinder.

occupies the space which in a plain knitting machine is used for thewrap embroidery mechanism and the presence of the needles of the secondseries interferes with the wrapping of needles of the first series. Theproblem is still more difficult in a seamless hoisery machine where thesmall diameter of the cylinder limits the space available and mechanismrequired for producing a welt or selvage at the upper edge, a topportion of one type of rib fabric, leg and instep portions of anothertype of rib fabric, reciprocatorily knit heel and toe pockets and plainknit sole and toe band portions puts a premium on all available space.

While wrap embroidery mechanism for coaxial cylinder rib knittingmachines has been previously proposed, as illustrated by Kent U. S.Patent No. 2,065,469 and Holmes U. S. Patent No. 2,358,640, the scope ofpatterns that could be produced by such mechanism has been limited.Where, for example, embroidery thread has been fed to successive needlesof a group of needles by means of corresponding wrap thread guides, ithas been necessary either to feed the same wrap thread to the sameneedle throughout or else to shift or shog all of the thread guidesrelative to the needles so that different wrap threads are supplied toall of the needles. In other words, it has not been possibleindependently to change the wrap thread to one needle while continuingto feed the original wrap threads to adjacent needles. These limitationshave restricted the patterning possibilities of the mechanism.

To maintain leadership in the hosiery field, it is necessary continuallyto bring out new and attractive designs and pattern each successiveseason. The designs are customarily first drawn by artists and then sentto the knitting mill where machines are set up to produce them. It isobviously desirable for the machines to be able to produce whateverdesigns are drawn. By reason of the limitations referred to above, thishas not been possible with the machines heretofore available.

It is an object of the present invention materially to increase thepatterning possibilities of multi-color Wrap embroidery patterns onribknit seamless fabric, particularly in seamless hosiery such ashalf-hose. In accordance with the invention, the color of the wrapthread in any needle wale can be changed wholly independently of thecolor in adjacent wales. This makes it possible to produce a widevariety of multi-color wrap embroidery patterns. It is, for example,possible, in accordance with the present invention, to produce truecolor-within-color patterns, 1. e., patterns in which there is one colorabove and also beneath another color in the same needle Wale and alsoone color on either or both sides of another color in the same course.Thus, a cross or other design of one color may be completely surroundedby a design of another color. Likewise, it is possible to have one colorat all wales of a group of consecutive wales in one course or group ofcourses and to have another color at the same wales in the next courseor group of courses. innumerable other patterns can likewise be producedby the greatly increased patterning possibilities that are now openedup. With the present invention it is possible to produce virtually anytwo-color wrap embroidery pattern that can be drawn.

In accordance with the present invention, av plurality of wrapembroidery yarn extend in a walewise direction along each of a pluralityof successive needle wales of rib-knit fabric and are knit alternativelyat selected stitches of their respective wales. By knitting one oranother of the wrap yarns allocated to each needle wale, the color ofthe wale can be changed from stitch to stitch as desired whollyindependently of the wrapping of adjacent wales. The independent controlof color in each of a plurality of successive wales of the fabric makespossible an almost unlimited number of attractive patterns.

The novel fabric structure in accordance with the present invention canbe produced on a circular knitting machine having coaxial superposedneedle cylinders, double-ended needles operable selectively in eithercylinder, means for feeding body thread to the needles and means foractuating the needlesto take and knit the thread. Each of selectedneedles that are to receive wrap thread is provided with a plurality ofwrap thread guides which are operably supported by a carrier inside of,and rotatable with, the upper needle cylinder. Mechanism is provided forselectively actuating the needles and the thread guides to feed one oranother of the wrap threads to the respective selected needles inaccordance with a predetermined sequence to produce the desired pattern.In the embodiment herein shown and described, one thread guide isoperable to feed one wrap thread to a needle at one wrapping station andanother thread guide is operable at a second wrapping station to feed adifferent wrap thread to the same needle. Thus, each of the selectedneedles may be wrapped at either, both, or neither of said stations inaccordance with the particular design that is to be executed. While theinvention is herein shown and de-' scribed as applied to a rib knittingmachine, since such machines present a more difiicult problem, certainfeatures of the invention are also applicable to plain knitting machinesas will appear from the following description and claims.

The nature, advantages and possibilities of the invention will be morefully understood from the following description and from theaccompanying drawings which illustrate typical examples of the newfabric structure and also illustrate a method and apparatu for producingit.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an article of hosiery embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a similar side view of the leg portion of an article ofhosiery illustrating other patterning possibilities.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation on a larger scale of thepatterned portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a different pattern.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the pattern illustratedin Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a magnified schematic representation of the stitch structureof a small portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 5 as viewed from theoutside of the fabric. The area illustrated in Fig. 6 is indicated bybroken lines in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view, partially in vertical section and partially inelevation, of the upper portion of a coaxial cylinder-type circularknitting machine for carrying out my invention, the location of thesection being indicated approximately by the line 1-1 in Fig. 9.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of theselective mechanism controlling the feeding of the wrap threads to theneedles.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 99 inFig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to the upperright-hand portion of Fig. 7 but taken at a different angle around themachine, as indicated approximately by the line l0-l0 in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the lines H|I inFig. 7 and showing racking mechanism for the wrap pattern drum.

Fig. 12 is a schematic inside developed view of the upper and lower camblocks showing the cams for actuating the needles.

Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view illustrating successive steps inwrapping certain needles at one wrapping station.

Fig. 14 is a similar view illustrating successive steps in wrappingcertain needles with a different thread at another wrapping station.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged side view of one of the wrap thread feed guidesor fingers.

Fig. 16 is a cross-section on the line |6!6 of Fig. 15.

As coaxial cylinder knitting machines of the general type to which thepresent invention pertains are known in the art, being illustrated, forexample, by the above mentioned patents, the drawings have beensimplified by illustrating only the parts that are new and suchassociated parts as are necessary to a clear understanding of theinvention, enabling those skilled in the art to put it into practice.

The article of hosiery shown in Fig. 1 has an anti-ravel top edge orwelt W, a top portion R, a leg portion L, a heel portion H, ahigh-spliced portion HS above the heel, an instep portion I, a soleportion S, a toe-band portion TB and a toe T.

The top portion R is formed of fabric capable of sufiicient expansionand contraction to pass over the heel of the wearer without diflicultyand yet grip the leg snugly when in place. In its contracted position,the top is preferably narrower than the leg. For example, the top may beformed of 1 x 1 or 2 x 2 rib fabric. Elastic thread may be incorporatedin the top to give it additional stretch and recoverability and to makethe sock self-supporting. The upper edge of the top is provided with asuitable selvage or welt W to prevent unraveling or running of thefabric. The edge may, for example, be a single thickness elastic selvageor a tubular welt, preferably with elastic thread incorporated in hewelt.

The leg portion L and instep portion I are formed of inwardly facingstitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged to form rib knit fabric,such, for example, as Links-Links fabric or broad rib. In Fig. 1 thefabric of the leg and instep portions is illustrated as 6 x 3 rib fabricexcept that a broader panel P comprising eleven consecutive wales ofoutwardly facing stitches is provided on each side of the leg. Thefabric of the high-splice portion HS is preferably formed wholly ofoutwardly facing stitches with or without the incorporation of anadditional splicing yarn. a

The integral heel portion H and toe portion T are knit by, reciprocationof the'needle cylinders in usual manner with appropriate narrowing andwidening to provide the desired shape. The sole S and circular toe-bandTB are preferably formed wholly of outwardly facing stitches. It will beunderstood that the high-splice portion HS and sole portion S are knitconcurrently with the corresponding portions of the instep as tubularseamless fabric.

In the example shown in Fig. 1 the wrap embroidery design is in the formof a clock extending down each side of the leg and into the instepportion. The clocks on opposite sides of the leg are usually alikealthough they can be different if desired. The pattern is showndiagrammatically on a larger scale in Fig. 3 in which the right-handportion of the figure. is a continuation of the part shown at the left.

In Fig. 3, each of the small squares represents a stitch of the fabric.Inwardly facing or rib stitches are indicated by an ac while outwardlyfacing stitches are shown plain except where they are wrapped. Stitchesof wrap thread are shown shaded or cross-hatched. Shading in onedirection indicates one color while shading in the opposite directionindicates another color. It will be seen that the wrap pattern is in apanel formed by a group of eleven wales of outwardly facing stitcheswhich arenumbered to II respectively. This panel is bounded on each sideby wales of inwardly facing stitches. .The pattern at its widest portionis eleven wales wide so that it thus extends the full width of thepanel.

The clock shown in Fig. 3 comprises a head portion I2 extending from thepoint A to the point B, a neck portion I 3 extending from B to C, ashaft I4 extending from C to D and a fork I5 extending from D to E. Itwillbe seen that there is a different pattern in each of the fourportions of the clock. This .calls for a different sequence andarrangement of the wrap stitches in each successive portion. The clockshown in Fig. 3

illustrates the ability of the invention to make repeating diagonalpatterns going in the same direction. It also illustrates how a group ofconsecutive wales can be wrapped first with one color and then withanother, the color of any or all of the wales being changed at will. Thecolor of each wale can be changed as desired independently of any of theother wales. The invention thus makes it possible for the designer tochoose as to each individual stitch in each wale whether to use wrapthread of onecolor or wrap thread of another color or no wrap thread atall. The stitch structure of the fabric and themanner in which the wrapembroidery yarns are incorporated will be understood more fully from thedescription below in connection with Fig. 6 which shows anotherembodiment but incorporates the same principles.

Fig. 4 shows another example of a clock pattern embodying the presentinvention. Here again, the clock comprises a head portion I2, a neckportion I3, a shaft portion I4 and a fork I5, the samereferencecharacters being employed as in Fig. 3. 1

Fig. 5 illustrates an allover pattern that can be made in accordancewith the present invention. While only a small section of the fabric hasbeen shown, it will be understood that the pattern is repeated over theleg portion and instep portion of the sock, as illustrated in part byFig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 clearly illustrate the colorwithin-color effectsthat can be obtained in accordance with the invention. It will beunderstood that the size, shape and arrangement of the patterns may bevaried as desired. The independent control of the color of each walemakes it possible to produce many patterns which were heretoforeunobtainable. While, for the sake of simplicity, the patterns have beenshown in only two, colors, it will be understood that three or'morecolors may be used if desired.

The stitch structure of the fabric is illustrated more clearly in thelarge-scale stitch diagram of Fig. 6. This figure shows on an enlargedscale a small area of the fabric illustrated in Fig. 5 as indicated bybroken lines outlining the area. The courses of the fabric shown in Fig.6 are lettered a to m respectively while the wales are numbered 2I to35. Wales 2I, 22, 23 and also wales 33, 34 and 35 are formed of inwardlyfacing stitches knit on top cylinder needles. Wales 24 to 32 inclusiveare outwardly facing stitches knit on lower cylinder needles. The bodyof the fabric is knit of one or more body yarns designated genericallyby the letter Y. In each of wales 25 to 3| there are two wrap threadswhich, for convenience in identification, are shaded for green andbrown, respectively, and are identifled by the characters WI and W2. Atcourses d, e and f in wale 25, the wrap thread WI is knitted in platingrelation over the body thread Y. In wale 26, the wrap thread WI is knitat courses b, c, g and h. The wrap thread WI is knit at the same coursesin wale 21 while the wrap thread W2 is knit at course 6. In wale 28, thewrap thread WI is knit at course 17 and course 72. while wrap thread W2is knit at courses (1, e and 1. As the figure is symmetrical, the otherhalf is the same in reverse. By reference to Fig. 5 it will, be seenthat the next lower design is of the same shape but that the colors arereversed so that the outer part of the design is formed with wrapthreads W2 while the inner portion is formed with wrap threads WI. Whilethe wrap threads in each of the wales 25 to 3| are indicated WI and W2,respectively, it will be understood that the wrap threads of successivewales need not be alike. For example, the wrap threads used in wale 26may be of differentcolor or character from the wrap threads used in wale25. Since there are two separate wrap threads allocated to each wale,the color of each of the wrapped wales can be controlled whollyindependently of the other wale. This makes it possible to produce anexceedingly large number of different patterns. Wherever a wrap threadis not knitted, it is floated vertically in its respective wale.

In speaking of the thread or yarn being of different color, the term isused broadly to include any actual or potentia1 difference inappearance. For example, the threads may differ from one another inshade or sheen. Likewise, the threads may be of the same color when knitbut of different characteristics so as to respond differently tosubsequent dyeing or other treatment. Moreover, the term yarn and threadare used generically to include a single strand or a plurality ofstrands knit together.

Apparatus of carrying out the invention is illustrated in Figs. '7 to16. The machine shown in the drawings is of the coaxial cylinder typehaving an upper needle cylinder 40 and a lower needle cylinder M whichare rotatable and oscillatable in synchronism with one another bysuitable driving mechanism. Needles 42 provided with a hook and latch ateach end are slidable up and down in alined slots provided in the needlecylinders. The needles are transferable from one cylinder to the otherand are operable in either cylinder by means of sliders 43 and 44 havingknitting butts and transfer butts engageable with needle operating camsprovided in cam boxes 45 and 46. The cams are illustrated in Fig. 12 anddescribed in more detail below. The lower needle cylinder is providedwith sinkers 41 operable by sinker cams 48. The upper needle cylinder isprovided with verge bits 49 over which inwardly facing stitches aredrawn by needles operating in the upper cylinder.

Insid the upper needle cylinder and coaxial therewith is a cylindricalcarrier for a plurality of wrap thread guides 52. The thread guides fitsnugly into slots provided in the wrap cylinder or carrier 5| which isrotated in synchronism with the upper needle cylinder.

One of the wrap thread feed fingers 52 is shown on an enlarged scale inFigs. 15 and 16. It consists of a body or shank portion 53 carrying atits lower end two projecting arms 54 and 55. The upper arm 54 is longerthan the lower arm 55 and is provided at its outer end with a tipportion 56 having one or more perforations or apertures to receive thewrap thread. The lower arm 55 has a similar apertured tip portion 51. Asseen in Fig. 16, the tip portions 56 and 5! are inclined in oppositedirections to the arms 54 and 55, respectively. The arms 55 and 55 areresilient so as to be swingable relative to the shank portion 53, theaxis of swinging movement being approximately parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the shank.

At its upper end, th thread guide 52 is provided with a levelling butt58 and one or more actuating butts 59. In the embodiment illustrated,there are actuating butts at sixteen different levels. The thread guidesare preferably made with butts that can be broken off, leaving only suchbutts as are required to produce the particular wrap embroidery patternthat is set up on the machine. The rear edge of the shank 53 is shapedso as to provide a fulcrum 6!) approximately midway between the upperand lower ends. The front edge likewise has a fulcrum point 6|.

One of the wrap thread feed fingers 52 is provided for each of theneedles that is to be wrapped. One wrap yarn is threaded through the eyeat the tip of arm 54 while another wrap yarn is threaded through the eyeat the tip of arm 55 (Fig. 15), the yarns being brought down throughguide tubes 64 from reels or cones (not shown) carried on a rack 65which rotates with the needle cylinders.

The lower portion of rack 65 is shown in Fig. 7. The wrap yarn ispreferably threaded through the eyes of the two arms from oppositedirections, one of the yarns being the wrap yarn WI as illustrated inFig. 6, and the other being wrap yarn W2. While in the embodimentillustrated in the drawings the two thread guiding arms 54 and 55 areswingably mounted on the same shank portion 53, they are operab1e,- asdescribed more fully below, in such manner that the corresponding needlecan be wrapped either with the yarn carried by arm 5% or, alternatively,with the yarn carried by arm 55. The duplex wrap thread finger 52 thusconstitutes in effect two separate thread guides both of which serve thesame needle in such manner that the needle can be wrapped with onethread or another as desired, wholly independently of the wrapping ofadjacent needles.

The means for selectively actuating the wrap thread guides isillustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. A series of eight selector levers 66(Fig. 9) are swingable about a vertical post 67 and have nose portions68 adapted to engage corresponding actuating butts 59 of the wrap threadguides at a wrappin station I, the selector levers being disposed atlevels corresponding to the right upper levels of the actuatin butts. Asecond series of eight selector levers 10 are likewise swingable aboutpost 6'! and have nose portions ll adapted to engage correspondingactuating butts 59 of the wrap thread fingers at a second wrappingstation II disposed approximately 90 from the wrapping station I. Thelevers 1!] of the second series are located at levels corresponding tothe eight lower levels of the wrap thread finger butts. The selectorcams or levers 66 and 10 are both controlled from a single wrap patterndrum 72 which may be of any desired type but is shown in the form of aperforated drum or cylinder carrying a multiplicity of removabl pins orcam segments 13. While the pattern drum may, if desired, be mounted sothat the pins 13 directly engage portions of the selector levers toswing them inwardly into engagement with the wrap thread fingers, theembodiment illustrated in the drawings utilizes a series of actuatinglevers 14 for transmitting motion from the pattern drum to theselectors. Each of the actuating levers 14 comprises a U-shaped strapportion 15, the opposite legs of which are perforated to receive a pivotshaft 16. At one end, the leg i extended to provide an arm 11 adapted toengage the corresponding selector lever. The central portion of the U-shaped strap 15 carries a laterally offset arm 18 (Figs. '7 and 9)having a nose portion adapted to be engaged by pins carried by thepattern drum 12. When the nose of the arm 78 rides up on a pin 13, theactuating lever 14 is swun in a clockwise direction (Fig. 9) about theshaft 16 so that the arm ll presses inwardly on the correspondingselector lever 66 or 10. Each of the selector levers is provided with aspring 19 for withdrawin the lever when there is no pin. While all ofthe actuating levers 14 are similar to one another and operate in thesame manner, they differ in size and shape so as to nest one insideanother, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Moreover, the arms 11 of theactuating levers for selectors 66 are somewhat longer than those forselectors 10, as illustrated in Fig. 9. With the arrangement shown, theselector levers 66 and 10 can be mounted close together while the pinengaging arms 13 of the corresponding actuating levers 14 are spacedfarther apart in order to provide greater pattern selection, asdescribed below.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the wrap pattern drum [2 hassixty-four horizontal rows of pins with forty-eight pins in each row.Mechanism is provided for racking the pattern drum one step forward eachrevolution of the needle cylinder and for moving the pattern drumaxially at predetermined intervals so as to bring one or another of thehorizontal rows of pins into alignment with the arms 18 of the actuatinglevers 14. Each actuating lever is controllable by any of four rows ofpins, depending upon the axial position of the pattern drum.

The wrap pattern drum is rotatably supported by a post 80 and is rackedby means of a pawl 8i -engaging ratchet teeth 82 on the drum. The pawl8I is pivotally mounted at 83 on a slide 84 (Fig. 11) which is'reciprocated by means of a link 85 carrying a roller 86 adapted to beengaged by a camtI on a countershaft 88 through which the upper cylinderand wrap thread finger carrier 1 are rotated. As the slide 84' isreciprocated in a lengthwise direction, as indicated by the arrows (Fig.11), the nose of the pawl engages the teeth of rack 82 to rack thepattern drum. In order to stopithe racking of the drum when desired,there is provided a hold-out cam 90 (Fig. 11) carried by a carrier 9|which is oscillatable about the axis of the pattern drum. An arm 92(Fig. 8) pivotally mounted at 93 and having a cam follower portion 94adapted to be engaged by links 95on an i auxiliary pattern chain 96 isconnected by a link 9'! with an arm 98 on a shaft 99 which extendsdiametrically through the stationary supporting base of the pattern drumand is provided at its ilar pawl and hold-out cam are provided ontheopposite side of the drum to rack the drum in the opposite direction,in which event the pattern chain 98 has three levels of links to controlthe direction of rotation, as well as the starting and stopping of thedrum as illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 18,223, filedMarch 31, 1948.

The vertical position of the wrap pattern drum is controlled by means ofa pattern cam I83 (Fig. 8) which engages a roller I 04 on the lower endof a vertically slidable post I05 carrying at its upper end a fork I06,the arms of which engage a corresponding groove I81 (see also Fig. 7) inthe pattern drum. The cam wheel I83 is provide with four differentlevels corresponding to the four vertical positions of the wrap patterndrum. The rotation of the cam wheel I03 is controlled from the mainpattern drum or from the auxiliary pattern chain 96 so as to move thewrap pattern drum vertically at predetermined points in the knitting ofa sock.

- In order to avoid interference between the pins I3 of the wrap patterndrum I2 and the pin-engaging arms 18 (Fig. 9) when the pattern drum isshifted axially, the vertical rows of pins may be sufficiently far apartthat the nose of lever I8 is between two pins when the axial shiftoccurs.

By coordinating the timing of the axial shift and the racking of thepattern drum I2, the shift can be efi'ected between pins. Alternatively,the pins can be placed closer together-in order to decrease the diameterof the drum-and wide spaces left only at one or more points where anaxial shift of the drum is to be made. As illustrated in Fig. 9, thereare four wide spaces III-9 located of the pawl BI is sufiiciently greatto enable it to rack the drum a distance of two teeth on eachreciprocation of the slide 84. However, when the that it misses thefirst tooth and hence racks the drum only the distance of one tooth.When the cam lobe IIIi drops into one of the depressions IiI in the camdisc, the pawl is permitted to engage the first tooth of the ratchet andthereby rack the drum twice as far.

As explained above, the engagement of one of the selector levers (itwith an actuating butt on one of the wrap fingers 52 (Figs. Z and 9)pushes the upper end of the finger in and rocks the finger about itsfulcrum (iii (Fig. 15) so that the lower 7 end swings out at the firstwrapping station I.

The thread guides are swung back in by a retracting cam I It (Fig. 10)which engages the upwardly projecting end be of the linger, causing itto rock about the fulcrum point 8| (Fig. 15). Likewise, at the secondwrapping station II, the wrap finger can be swung out by engagement withone of the selector levers I0 and is retracted by a cam H5. Theactuation of the wrap fingers at one or another of the wrapping stationsis controlled by the pins in the wrap pattern drum I2 and by theposition of one or more actuating butts 58 on the wrap finger. Aleveling cam I It adapted to engage butts 58 of the fingers is providedin ad- 'vance of each wrapping station to position the fingers at theproper height. Although shown in Fig. 7, the cam H6 is actually ahead ofthe position at which this section is taken.

In knitting wrap embroidery fabric, the needles are actuated in suchmanner as to cooperate with the wrap thread guides to take one oranother of the wrap threadsexcept in those stitches where no wrap threadis to be incorporated-and are then actuated to take the body thread andto draw stitches of the body thread and. wrap thread, if any. Cams foractuating the needles are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 12. The uppercylinder cam box 45 (Fig. 7) comprises a guard cam I20, a bolt cam IZI,guard cam I22, stitch cam I23, partial clearing cam I24 and a bolt camI25 which serves to block a track I28 through which the slider buttstravel during the making of a welt. The cam I25 also serves as aclearing cam. All of these cams work on the knitting butts of the uppercylinder sliders 83. An upper transfer cam IN is adapted selectively toengage transfer butts of the sliders to transfer needles from the upperto the lower cylinder. The position of the body thread feed is indicatedat F.

The lower cylinder cam box d8 (Fig. 7) includes switch cams I30, adraw-down cam I3I, a retractable wrap-positioning cam I32, reversestitch cam I 33, center cam I3 3, forward stitch butts of the lowercylinder sliders to transfer needles from the lower to the uppercylinder. There is also a swinging draw-down cam Hi2, which also workson the lower transfer butts. The various movable cams are controllableby the main patterning mechanism of the machine in usual manner to movethem into'and out of position, as required, and also to provide suitableneedle selection. The individual needle selection maybe effected bymechanism similar to that i 1 shown in Figs. '1, 8 and 9 acting on jacksto raise selected needles. Group needle selection may be efiected byusing different lengths of butts on the sliders.

A latch guard I45 carried by the upper cam block is provided withwindows I46 and I41 at locations corresponding to the two wrappingstations to permit the wrap thread guides to swing out around theneedles, as hereinafter described.

The operation of the machine will be understood from a brief descriptionof the steps for making the article of hosiery illustrated in Figs. 1and 3. After knitting the welt W and the top R in the usual manner, aselective needle transfer is effected to position the proper needles inthe upper and lower cylinders, respectively, to make the rib knit legportion. The needles for knitting Wales I to II (Fig. 3) are in thelower cylinder. The wrap pattern drum l2 (Fig. '7) is started racking,the drum being in its highest.

position so as to bring the lowest of each set of four rows of pins intoalignment with the corresponding selector actuating levers M. The wrappositioning cams 132 and [All (Fig. 12 are in operative position toposition the needles at th proper levels for wrapping at the respectivewrapping stations. The wrapping of selected needles at one or another ofthe wrapping stations is controlled by the selective cooperation of theneedles and the wrap thread guides to form the head portion 12 of theclock shown in Fig. 3. At the first wrapping station the needles thatare to be wrapped are positioned at such height by the cam Ml] that thetip of the upper wrap thread guide 54 will engage the upper end of theneedle. I

when the guide is swung out by one of the selector levers 66 (Fig. 9).Owing to the inclination of the tip portion 56, th guide passes to'oneside of the needles as it swings out and comes back on the opposite sideof the needle so that the wrap thread carried by the guide is loopedthrough the hook or the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 13 which showssuccessive steps in the wrapping operation. The wrap fingers areretracted by the cam H4 (Figs. 9 and 10). Only those needles arewrappedat the first station which are to receive the wrap thread fed bythe upper thread guide 54.

At the second wrapping'station, the needles that. are to receive theother wrap thread are positioned at the proper level by cam l32' (Fig. 7

12) These needles are at a lower level than the needles wrapped at thefirst station so as to be engaged by the tip portions of the lowerthread guides 55. Alternatively the wrapping fingers areraised by thelevelling cam H5. The wrapping finger 52 is swung out farther at the second wrapping station by engagement of selector levers I0 so as'to swingthe tip of the lower thread guide around the upper end of selectedneedles, as illustrated in Fig. 14. Owing to the inclination of the tipportion 51 of the lower thread guide (Fig. 15), the tip passes out onone side of. the needles and is then deflected so as 'to come back onthe other side. The needles wrapped at the second wrapping stationreceived only th thread fed by the lower thread guide 55. It will thusbe seen that any of the needles provided with wrap thread guides can bewrapped with one thread at the first wrapping station or with anotherthread at the second wrappingstation. The wrapping of each needle isindependent of the adjacent needles. Consecutive needles or spacedneedles can be wrapped as desired.

When the head portion [2 of the clock shown in Fig. 3 is completed, thewrap pattern 12 12 is dropped down one notch so as to bring a second rowof pins into alignment with each of the selector actuating levers. Thesepins can thus be set up to provide an entirely different pattern in theneck portion l3. The wrap pattern drum is again lowered by successivsteps at points C and D (Fig. 3) in order to bring successive rows ofpins into operation for making the shaft 14 and fork I5. The foot of thesock is knit in usual manner except for the wrapping in the instepportion, the heel and toe being knit by reciprocation of the needlecylinders.

By wrapping each of selected needles with selected wrap thread at onewrapping station and then, in the same cgurse. wrapping each of selectedneedles with different wrap thread at another wrapping station, theneedle selection at the first station being independent of and, for mostpatterns, different from that at the second an extremely Wide range ofattractive wrap patterns can be produced. While in the embodimentillustrated in the drawings the two wrap thread guides for each needleare shown as separate arms or yarn fingers on a single body portion ofshank, it will be readily understood that the guides may be whollyseparate from one another. Still other modifications of the inventionwithin the scope of the annexed claims will be apparent to those skilledin the art.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a circular knitting machine having coaxial superposed needlecylinders, double ended needles operable selectively in either cylinder,means for feeding thread to the needles and means for actuating theneedles to take and knit the thread, a carrier disposed inside of androtatable with the upper needle cylinder, a plurality of thread feedingfingers movably carried by said carrier, each of said fingers having ashank portion and a pair of resilient arms projecting laterally fromsaid shank, each having at its outer end a downwardly projecting tipportion provided with a thread guiding eye and inclined at an angle tothe arm, the direction of inclination of one of said tip portions beingopposite to that of the other and means for bringing one or the other ofsaid eyes into wrapping relation with selected needles.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a wrap thread feeding fingercomprising a shank portion having a fulcrum intermediate its ends, atleast one laterally projecting butt provided adjacent one end of saidshank portion adapted to cooperating with means for selee'tively rockingthe finger about its fulcrum, anda pair of resilient arms projectinglaterally from said shank adjacent the opposite end, each of said. armshaving at its outer end a downwardly projecting tip portion providedwith a thread guiding eye and incline d at an angle to the arm, thedir'ection of inclination of one of said tip portions being opposite tothat of the other and the armnearer the fulcrum being longer than theother.

3. In a circular knitting machine having spaced coaxial superposedneedle cylinders, double ended needles operable selectively in eithercylinder, means for feeding body yarn to the needles and means foractuating the needles to take and knit the yarn, a carrier disposedinside of,

and rotatable with, the upper needle cylinder, a pair of L-shaped yarnguides. associated with each of a group of successiveneedles, saidguides being pivotally carried by-sa'id carrier toswing about ahorizontal axis, andhaving parallelv'ertically extending shank portionsand horizontal radially projecting arm portions extending out throughthe space between the cylinders when the guides are actuated by beingswung about their pivots, a downwardly projecting tip portion having ayarn guiding eye at the outer end of each of said arm portions, a pairof wrapping stations spaced from one another circumferentially of theneedle cylinders, means for selectively actuating one guide of each ofselected pairs only at one of said wrapping stations to swing saidselected guides out to move the yarn guiding eyes thereof around therespective needles and means for actuating the other of each of otherselected pairs of guides at the second of said wrapping stations to movethe yarn guiding eyes of said other guides around the respectiveneedles, said selective actuating means including a selecting drum foreach of said two wrapping stations, said drums acting independently onsaid guides to provide independent selection of the guides at each ofsaid stations.

4. In a, circular knitting machine having spaced coaxial superposedneedle cylinders, double ended needles operable selectively in eithercylinder, means for feeding body yarn to the needles and means foractuating the needles to take and knit the yarn, a carrier disposedinside of, and rotatable with, the upper needle cylinder, a plurality ofwrap yarn feeding fingers swingably carried by said carrier, each ofsaid fingers having an elongated vertical shank portion projecting upabove the top of the upper needle cylinder, and a pair of independentlyswingable resilient arms projecting at approximately right angles tosaid shank portion, said arms extending radially of the needle circleand projecting out through the space between the needle cylinders, adownwardly projecting tip portion having a yarn-guiding eye at the outerend of each of said arms, said arms being disposed parallel one abovethe other and the upper arm being longer, the shank portions of the wrapyarn-feeding fingers having butts disposed at different levels, andmeans engaging said butts for selectively swinging selected fingers tomove one or the other of the yarn-guiding eyes of said fingers aroundthe respective needles to feed one or another wrap yarn to said needles.

5. In a circular knitting machine having spaced coaxial superposedneedle cylinders, double ended needles operable selectively in eithercylinder, means for feeding body yarn to the needles and means foractuating the needles to take and knit the yarn, a carrier disposed inside of, and rotatable with, the upper needle cylinder, a plurality ofwrap yarn feeding fingers swingably carried by said carrier, each ofsaid fingers having an elongated vertical shank portion projecting upabove the top of the upper needle cylinder, and a pair of L-shapedresilient arms carried by the lower end of each shank portion, each ofsaid arms comprising a vertically extending portion extending downwardlyfrom the shank portion and a, horizontally extending portion disposedradially to the needle circle, said L-shaped arms being nested one inthe other with the upper arm extending out beyond the lower arm, adownwardly projecting tip portion having a yarn-guiding eye at the outerend of each of said arms, the upwardly lprojecting portions of the shankportions of the wrap yarn feeding fingers having butts at differentlevels, and means selectively engaging said butts for selectivelyswinging selected fingers to move one or the other of the yarn-guidingeyes of said fingers around the respective needles to feed one oranother wrap yarn to said needles.

6. A method of producing a multi-color wrap embroidery pattern on acircular knitting machine having spaced coaxial superposed needlecylinders and double-ended needles operable selectively in eithercylinder which comprises operating the machine with groups of needles inthe lower cylinder and intervening needles in the upper cylinder,feeding body yarn to all of the needles from a point outside the needlecircle, feeding down through the upper needle cylinder a pair of wrapyarns of different color for each of a plurality of successive needles,bringing selected ones of said pairs of wrap yarns out between theneedle cylinders at one wrapping station and wrapping one wrap yarn ofeach of said pairs around corresponding selected needles, bringing otherselected ones of said pairs of wrap yarn out between the needlecylinders at a second wrapping station during the same revolution andwrapping the other wrap yarn of each of said latter pairs around otherselected needles and changing the wrap yarn and needle selections inknitting succeeding courses to wrap each of selected needles with wrapyarn of one color at one wrapping station in knitting prede terminedcourses and with wrap yarn of another color at the other wrappingstation in other courses.

PAUL L. TI-IURSTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,065,469 Kent Dec. 22, 19362,156,185 Levin Apr. 25, 1939 2,164,118 McAdams June 27, 1939 2,358,640Holmes Sept. 19, 1944 2,463,751 Deans et a1. Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 526,963 Great Britain Sept. 30, 1940

